A case of mucoepidermoid sublingual carcinoma in whom a platysma flap was an efficient reconstructive surgical procedure after extirpation of the sublingual gland and oral cavity

Abstract

The frequency of sublingual gland tumor is about 1% of salivary gland tumors, and mucoepidermoid carcinoma is very rare. Here, we report a case who was pathologically diagnosed as having mucoepidermoid sublingual carcinoma, and in whom a platysma flap was an efficient reconstructive surgical procedure after extirpation of the sublingual gland and oral cavity.
A 40-year-old male complained of pain and a mass lesion in the right submandibular area. The result of aspiration biopsy was class II, and biopsy of the mass lesion revealed a low malignant type mucoepidermoid sublingual carcinoma. Therefore, we performed right upper neck dissection and extirpated the oral cavity including the submandibular gland and sublingual gland by the pull-through procedure. A deficit of oral cavity mucosa was repaired by suture with the gingiva side and tongue. We used a platysma flap to fill up the dead space of the oral cavity and keep the blood circulation of the mucosa. This reconstructive procedure produced good results.